When people look for painting advice, the best times, seasons, and weather conditions to paint under are usually at the top of people’s minds. In honor of all the lovely rainy Northern California weather Sonoma County has been experiencing, we wanted to take time to explore some of your most asked “painting in rainy weather” related questions.

Can You Paint In Rainy Weather?

No, you should never paint a home or commercial exterior when it’s raining. The team at Timmins Painting is very careful to schedule any exterior painting during times where there isn’t even a chance of rain. This can be difficult in Northern California during the winter, but a sudden deluge of rain can ruin a paint job and spread wet paint to other structure’s surfaces.

Optimal drying time depends on the type of paint. Most acrylic paints dry quickly in optimal conditions, with temperatures between 60-85 degrees being the desired temperature for maximum results. If your paint job is interrupted by a heavy downpour or rain occurs before the paint is fully dry, it will most certainly effect the outcome of the finished product with water run marks in the paint color.

How Soon Can You Paint The Exterior Of Your House or Commercial Building After The Rain?

Now that you know you should never paint in rainy weather, what about after the rain? After the rain has passed and assuming there weren’t high winds (which would direct the rain to dampen your structure’s siding) preparation and painting could resume the very next day. The type of siding and how wet it is would be the determining factor in the amount of time before it becomes a clean/dry surface.

Does Rain Impact an Interior Painting Project?

While a professional interior paint job runs less risk of coming in direct contact with rainy weather, there are still some concerns our team keeps in mind during especially damp weather.

Damp interior walls and indoor humidity can affect how fast and how well paint dries. If your interior is too damp, it could mean that the outermost layer is too moist to allow for even drying.

The professionals at Timmins Painting are well equipped to test and detect any indoor humidity or dampness issues. We’ll ensure the conditions are optimal for a quality interior painting job.

Rest assured that the experienced team at Timmins Painting has been through enough California winters to know how to make a plan of attack for painting exteriors around the rain.  All proper care is taken to ensure that your painting gets done in a careful, efficient, and quality manner.

If you’re ready to get your home or business looking fresh with a new interior or exterior painting well ahead of spring, contact your local Santa Rosa painting contractors today to receive a free estimate!